SEARCH · Search NASA
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Transistor-driven temperature-stable amplifier with logarithmic operating characteristics permits presentation of the entire range of the reactor without range switching. This circuit is capable of monitoring ion chamber currents over spans of 8 or 9 decades and is used in nuclear reactor instrumentation. Application is found in materials under ultrahigh vacuum.
Peaks and time intensity profile of energetic X rays and cosmic rays observed by OGO-C ion chamber on May 23, 1967 flare event
Graphical and tabular summaries of ionization rates in space recorded by OGO spacecraft ion chambers
Relationships between solar soft X radiation and emissions at other wavelengths based on data from ion chamber phototometer aboard OSO-3
Solar soft X rays and solar activity observed with ion chamber photometer
Hysteresis effect on cosmic ray modulation and gradient ionization near solar minimum from measurements made near earth with OGO 1 and 3 ion chambers
Submillipound mercury electron bombardment ion thrustor efficiency, noting cathode pole piece, baffle position and geometry influence on ion chamber performance
Conversion factor for converting Geiger tube count rates or ion chamber currents into units of incident X ray energy flux in specified passband in normalizing solar X ray data
Submillipound mercury electron bombardment ion thrustor efficiency, noting cathode pole piece, baffle position and geometry influence on ion chamber performance
Low energy cosmic rays modulation and heliocentric gradient during solar minimum, comparing OGO 1 and 2 ion chamber measurements with other space and ground observations
Photon intensities of UV spectral lines from energetic magnetically confined vacuum carbon arc, using monochromator double ion chamber detector system
The optical radiation from the plasma discharge of an electron bombardment mercury ion thrustor was investigated. Using the measured ratio of the Hg I line amplitude at 3655 A to that at 3650 A, a theory incorporating a bimodal electron distribution (Maxwell electrons plus primary electrons) was used to obtain the average electron temperature and primary electron fraction in the thruster ion chamber. The electron temperature ranged from about 1.2 eV to 6.6 eV; whereas the primary electron fraction varied from zero percent to about 5 percent. These values depended upon the discharge voltage and the radial location of the measurement. The percentage of doubly ionized mercury produced in the chamber was also determined as a function of discharge voltage.
Type III solar bursts occurring in the absence of solar flares were observed to be accompanied by weak X-radiation. The energy scale of an OSO-3 soft X-ray ion chamber was assessed using realistic theoretical X-ray spectra. Relationships between soft solar X-rays and solar activity were investigated. These included optical studies, the role of the Type III acceleration mechanism in establishing the soft X-ray source volume, H alpha flare intensity variations, and gross magnetic field structure.
The optical radiation from the plasma discharge of an electron bombardment mercury ion thruster was investigated. This work extends and refines earlier measurements, correcting certain ambiguities that arose in the analysis of line amplitudes. Using the measured ratio of the Hg I line amplitude at 3655 A to that at 3650 A, a theory incorporating a bimodal electron distribution (Maxwell electrons plus primary electrons) was used to obtain the average electron temperature and primary electron fraction in the thruster ion chamber. The electron temperature ranged from about 1.2 eV to 6.6 eV; whereas the primary electron fraction varied from zero percent to about 5 percent. These values depended upon the discharge voltage and the radial location of the measurement. The percentage of doubly ionized mercury produced in the chamber was also determined as a function of discharge voltage.
A modified Hughes SIT-5 thruster was life-tested at the Lewis Research Center. The final 2700 hours of the test are described with a charted history of thruster operating parameters and off-normal events. Performance and operating characteristics were nearly constant throughout the test except for neutralizer heater power requirements and accelerator drain current. A post-shutdown inspection revealed sputter erosion of ion chamber components and component flaking of sputtered metal. Several flakes caused beamlet divergence and anomalous grid erosion, causing the test to be terminated. All sputter erosion sources were identified.
Large solar flares produce intense soft X-ray emission, indicating the existence of high temperature plasmas that coexist in time with the plasmas responsible for the normally observed brightenings in H-alpha. The time behavior of the X-ray flux, as revealed, for example, by ion chamber detectors on the series of Solrad monitoring satellites, appears to roughly mimic the intensity-time behavior of the H-alpha flare, insofar as start times, times of maximum flux, and approximate decay times are concerned. In recent years, soft X-ray spectra of both active regions and solar flares have been obtained by instruments flown on spacecraft such as the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) series. The disbursing elements used were Bragg crystals, and in the 8 Angstrom region the resolution is typically approximately 1200. This paper discusses the observed characteristics of X-ray flare spectra and spectroscopic diagnostics for determining electron temperatures, electron densities, and departures from ionization equilibrium within the soft X-ray emitting plasma.
It is demonstrated that a dosimeter which consists of four ion chambers, each with different wall thickness, is able to reproduce the BFO dose with reasonable accuracy. This generalized dosimetric system is only slightly more complex than dosimeters in current use. This preliminary development had two built-in assumptions; the isotropicity of the radiation and the neglect of nuclear reaction effects. Only the nuclear reaction effects have been calculated.
A modified Hughes SIT-5 thrustor has been life-tested at the Lewis Research Center. The final 2700 hours of the test are described with a charted history of thrustor operating parameters and off-normal events. Performance and operating characteristics were nearly constant throughout the test except for neutralizer heater power requirements and accelerator drain current. A post-shutdown inspection revealed sputter erosion of ion chamber components and component flaking of sputtered metal. Several flakes caused beamlet divergence and anomalous grid erosion, causing the test to be terminated. All sputter erosion sources have been identified and promising sputter resistant components are currently being evaluated.